Mental Health Commission

Working Together for Quality Mental Health Services

Learn more about the Mental Health Commission

Addendum to Rules Governing the Use of Seclusion and Mechanical Means of Bodily Restraint, Version 2

The Mental Health Commission is amending the Rules Governing the Use of Seclusion and Mechanical Means of Bodily Restraint, by way of an addendum to the Rules.
The addendum comes into effect on 1st March 2011.
The immediate effect of the commencement of the amendment is that Rule 5.1 (b) has been amended. Rule 5.1 now reads as follows:
5.1
(a)A patient placed in seclusion must be kept under direct observation by a registered nurse for the first hour following initiation of a seclusion episode.
(b)The patient must be kept under continuous observation thereafter by a registered nurse for the duration of a seclusion episode.
Rules 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5 and 5.6 remain unaltered.
The purpose of this amendment is to ensure that patients placed in seclusion are adequately observed for the duration of the period of seclusion. The effect of this change is that the monitoring requirements of Version 2 of the Rules are now similar to those which were in place in Version 1 of the Rules.
Addendum to the Rules Governing the Use of Seclusion & Mechanical Means of Bodily Restraint